Effectiveness of wastewater management in rural areas of developing countries: a case of Al-Chouf Caza in Lebanon

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 161; no. 1-4; pp. 61 - 69
• Main Authors: Massoud, May A, Tareen, Jawaria, Tarhini, Akram, Nasr, Joumana, Jurdi, Mey
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.02.2010; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: administrative management; Aluminum; Applied sciences; Assessments; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Case studies; Communities; Community; Developed countries; Developing Countries; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Effectiveness; Effectiveness studies; Effluent treatment; Effluents; Environment; Environmental awareness; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental quality; Exact sciences and technology; General purification processes; LDCs; Lebanon; Local communities; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Municipalities; Performance evaluation; Pollutants; Pollution; Population; Public health; Resource management; Rural areas; Sanitation services; Sewage disposal; Surface water; Towns; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Waste Disposal, Fluid - standards; wastewater; Wastewater discharges; Wastewater management; Wastewater treatment; Wastewaters; Water shortages; Water treatment; Water treatment and pollution; Lebanon; Asia; Lebanon; Developing countries; Effectiveness; Management; Wastewater; Rural areas; Village; Waste water; Health and environment; Rural area; Waste water purification; Public health; Environment quality
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-008-0727-2

Alike many developing countries, Lebanon lacks a national wastewater management strategy that can effectively protect public health and environmental quality. This has led the local communities and municipalities to plan and implement their own arrangements for wastewater treatment systems. However, most municipalities still lack the human and financial resources, management capabilities, and environmental awareness necessary to implement wastewater management in an environmentally sound manner. As such, the effectiveness of these systems, particularly with regard to the quality of the treated effluent, warrants evaluation. Accordingly, a performance evaluation of the treatment/disposal systems, taking three villages in Al-Chouf Caza in Lebanon as a case study, was carried out. The conducted field work, visual assessment, and laboratory analyses of effluent discharges revealed that the existing systems for wastewater treatment in the three villages are either not properly functioning or operational but ineffective and, consequently, hardly achieve any treatment higher than primary. Although developing countries are being encouraged to implement wastewater treatment systems with the promise of financial aid from developed nations, it is important that local conditions are considered carefully to make full use of any aid. It is very crucial to take into account the economic status of the community and the municipality in question. There is no point in adopting the most advanced technology for wastewater treatment if there is no mechanism to ensure maximum efficiency.